South Dakota FFA Foundation, Inc. Newsletter

SD FFA Foundation Email Newsletter ~ | ~ Volume 7, Issue 3 ~ | ~ September 2016

The SD FFA Email Newsletter highlights special projects of the SD FFA and SD FFA Foundation. Please forward this newsletter to others you know who are involved and interested in FFA and agriculture education. Thank you for your support of the FFA in South Dakota!

Director’s Message:

Did you get to the SD State Fair this year, and see the SD FFA Ag Adventure Center? It was the talk of the fair – and resulted in lots of exciting conversations about FFA & agriculture! Now, school is back in full swing and FFA chapters are gearing up for all kinds of exciting events! What better way do we have to advocate for our youth and the future of agriculture than getting our students out there? Please contact your local advisor to see how you can help make a positive difference in the lives of FFA members by developing their premier leadership, personal growth, and career success.

Gerri Ann Eide, Executive Director, SD FFA Foundation, Inc.

FFA member says "Thanks"!

The SD FFA Foundation believes in the future of agriculture. That's why we support awards, events, activities, and scholarships for agriculture programs and FFA members. Thank you for believing and helping make these things possible! EVERY donation, big or small, individual or corporate, is valued by the SD FFA Foundation and the members it impacts. Taylor

Taylor Kuper, Lennox Sophomore – “FFA has made me a better livestock showman & a better person. It taught me never to give up and to encourage my fellow showmen.”

Thank you for your time, talent and treasure!

Upcoming events:

September 28 - Northeast Area Land & Range Judging, Webster; Western Area Land & Range Judging, Wall; Central Area Land & Range Judging, Wessington Springs
October 1 – FFA membership rosters due, Brookings
October 4 - Southeast Area Land Judging, Colton area
October 19-22 - National FFA Convention, Indianapolis, Indiana
November 1 – Jackrabbit Invite Leadership CDE, Brookings
November 7 - District 3 CDE's, Harrisburg
November 15 - Districts 6 Leadership CDE's, Miller
November – Other District FFA Leadership Career Development Events - dates coming!
December 4-5 - State Leadership Career Development Events, Pierre

FFA Ag Adventure Center was the BUZZ at the fair!

Farrowing

With a whole new look, everyone was talking about the new FFA Ag Adventure Center at the SD State Fair! Hands on learning abounded with hens laying eggs, sows farrowing, eggs hatching, bottle calves being fed, MeDairy - the life size cow to milk, a big soil tunnel, and more, there was lots of excitement! FFA members shared messages about modern agriculture practices, food safety, and animal care through fun activities and exhibits. The building was continuously full. calf

Thank you to SD Farm Bureau for leading story time and educational activities on Thursday and all the sponsors who made the renovations possible with financial and inkind contributions:

Venture Communications

SD FFA Chapters

Pipestone Systems

Citibank

Gromaster, Inc.

Marvin & Corinne Wastell

Kendal & Janice Thompson

Fishback Financial/First Bank

SD Farm Bureau

Crystal Spring Hog Equipment

Stuart Hanson

USDA NRCS

SDSU College of Agriculture & Biological Sciences

SD State Fair

Val-Co

Ken & Glenda Kittelson

CoBank by East River Electric

Riverview

Sanborn Central FFA BOSDRC grant

AGP (Ag Processors)

SD Corn Utilization Council

ChoreTime

Ag First Coop, Brookings

First Dakota National Bank

Tom Heine Cattle Company, Inc. and Heine Cattle Co. Inc.

Farm Credit Services Working Here Grant

Farm Credit Services of America

Cargill

Community Foundation Grant

CoBank

SD Association of Cooperatives

SD Soybean Research & Promotion

KARLS TV - Huron

QC Supply

Legend Seeds, Inc.

Marshall Eidelman

McFleeg Feeds

SD FFA Star Partners

Do what you love. Love what you do. TEACH AG!

National Teach Ag Day is September 23, 2016. Please encourage young people to consider agricultural education as a career, because without them, there won't be enough ag teachers to keep our programs going.

Coming your way ...

State FFA officers will be starting chapter visits soon. They will visit all 83 FFA chapters in SD between September and December. Their 1/2 day visit at each school will focus on Teamwork, Personal Growth, Ag Advocacy, Ag Ed Basics, SAE, and FFA Beyond high school.

Land and Range judging teaches appreciation of Natural Resources

This summer I attended the SD Rangeland Days on prairie north of Wall. What a rejuvenating experience! I was again reminded of the variety of plants and animals on our prairie and the care it takes from farmers & ranchers to keep them all healthy. September is the time FFA members learn to identify land characteristic and slope, range plants and growth patterns, and how to be good stewards of these resources, managing them for the future. We are seeking sponsorships to assist in sending the winning regional teams to the National Land and Range Contests in Oklahoma. Thanks to Hefty Seed Company, Lyle Perman, & the Philip & Belle Fourche Livestock Exchanges for each sponsoring one team at $200. If you have any sponsor ideas for the additional land & range teams, please share with us. Thanks to LeRoy and Cathie Draine, Black Hawk, SD, for sponsoring 3 - $100 scholarships for the 1st place range judging individuals, and the SD Soil Health Coalition for sponsoring 4 - $100 scholarships for the 1st place land judging individuals.

Student projects showcased at the State Fair

296 FFA exhibitors and 946 exhibits in beef, sheep, swine, dairy, rabbit, dairy and meat goats, horticulture, ag mechanics and agriscience at the state fair highlighted student SAE project!

Thanks to all the sponsors that help make FFA livestock shows and awards possible:

Dakotaland Feeds, AT&T, CHS Foundation, RDO Equipment, Croplan by Winfield, C & B Operations, Monsanto, DuPont-Pioneer, Farm Credit Services of America, East River Electric, Twin City Northland Ford Dealers, SD Wheat Growers, North Central Farmers Elevator, SD Corn Utilization Council; SD Farm Bureau, US Army/Army ROTC; WinField; Zoetis; Butler Machinery, ADM-Benson Quinn, Hanson Associates; BASF; Wilbur Ellis, DeJong Ranch, Diamond V, Stangl Shorthorns, Genex - Dakota Sire Service, Midwest Ag Supply, Peterson Livestock, Scott Supply Co., Team Johnke, C & M Cattle, Wilson Sheep Company, Whetstone Commodities, Rasmussen Show Livestock, Cargill of Vienna, Lazy J Bar Ranch, Harringa Dairy, Antelope Pass Ranch, Valley Queen Cheese Factory, Thompson family, Knutson Suffolks, Jakober Limousin, Ellie Minihan, and Wirt Farms.

Congratulations to the National FFA Finalist from SD!

SD students are growing their talents and standing out. This year seven SD students are proficiency finalists because of their hard work on their Supervised Agricultural Experience Project, six students will showcase their musical talents in the National FFA Band, and one student team will compete in the national Agriscience Fair as finalists because of their strong scientific research.
Good luck as you represent SD at Nationals!

National Band & Chorus members:

Abby	Beeson	Wagner FFA	Band
Makayla	DeDeyne	De Smet FFA	Band
Trace	Larson	Winner FFA	Talent
Nathan	Loutsch	Milbank FFA	Chorus
Caitlynn	McGregor	McCook Central FFA	Chorus
Cassidy	McWayne	Canton FFA	Band
Patrick	Minihan	Canton FFA	Chorus
Katie	Nuese	Deubrook	Band
Chase	Pinkert	Milbank FFA	Band
Anna	Schwader	Howard FFA	Chorus
Loretta	Simon	Gettysburg FFA	Chorus

Proficiency finalists:

Adam	Eichacker	McCook Central	Diversified Crop Production - Entrepreneurship
Mark	Streff	McCook Central	Fiber/Oil Crop Production
Andrew	Streff	McCook Central	Grain Production - Entrepreneurship

Agriscience finalists:
Hadley Stiefvater McCook Central - Animal Systems Division 1
Katelyn Winberg McCook Central – Food Products & Processing Systems – Division 1
Madison Stroud McCook Central - Power, Structural and Technical Systems Division 1

**Watch SD FFA "TRANSFORM!" at this years National FFA Convention**

October 19-22, 60,000 plus leaders, including several hundred from SD, will gather to learn about careers in the agriculture industry, compete for scholarships, volunteer in the community and shape the future of the National FFA Organization. It will be a celebration of FFA and an experience full of educational relevancy. During the National FFA Convention, the streets of Indianapolis will be flooded with blue jackets as students spread the message of agriculture, engage in National Days of Service, participate in interactive workshops, check out the expo, are inspired by motivating sessions, take part in rigorous career development events and meet fellow FFA members. Watch on RFD TV, and catch updates on the National FFA facebook page!

Help us find past FFA members!

The SD FFA Foundation wants to reconnect with past members who believe in the future of agriculture... we know there are LOTS out there. It's more than just looking for financial supporters - it's finding people who will openly share with others what FFA has done for them. We need to share the message that we believe in the future of agriculture, just like the creed says. Please share names, addresses and/or email addresses of past members with: Gerri@sdffafoundation.org We want to invite them to get active again by judging, coaching, mentoring, or financing local and state FFA activities.

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Plan a gift to the SD FFA Foundation
in your annual budget.

You can donate online here or mail a donation to: SD FFA Foundation, 39393 133rd St., Bath, SD 57427